


We can dance (Until we die)

by CasualEarper



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 18th Century, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Princess Waverly Earp, Rating May Change, Servant Nicole Haught
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 20:55:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16145327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasualEarper/pseuds/CasualEarper
Summary: “What about the younger?” She leaned against the stall, and watched Nicole do her work. She had helped Nedley enough times to see that Nicole was not used to this kind of labor. Her movements were slow and unsure. The tools weren’t in their places around the stable, and Nicole didn’t have the calming effect on the horses like a used carer does. There was something about Nicole that didn’t really add up, and Waverly was planning on figuring out what that is.Nicole put down the food on the floor and wiped her hands neatly. ”I have heard some of her. People say she’s not acting like a proper princess, that she socializes with people below her rank too much””Do you think it’s reckless?””No, I think it’s admirable.”ORThe 18th century Princess!Waverly/Servant!Nicole AU that no one asked for





	We can dance (Until we die)

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first real fan-fic, but I decided to give it a go.  
> I had this idea of a 18th century romance between Waverly and Nicole for ages and I really wanted to write it, so please let me know if it's worth continuing!
> 
> I believe it is worth noting that this text has not been read by anyone but me, until now, so all mistakes are my bad, and please tell me if you notice them!
> 
> Hope you like it!

The Earp family wasn’t very big, but they were quite powerful. The family ruled over Purgatory; one of the three kingdoms that together created the land known as The Ghost River Triangle. Though the three kingdoms were as old as time itself, they did not always get along, and at the moment the people were fearing that a war would break out. 

Northwich, Riverfall and Purgatory had for a long time been under a mutual agreement that they would live in peace, for the sake of their people, but the truce was very weak. Were it not for the trading between the kingdoms, and the rough terrain in between, war would not be far off. 

Each kingdom covered one point of a large triangle shaped area. Northwich up north, creating the point of the triangle, laid close to the mountainside and was very protected. Though they lived in an almost constant cold, they had found that the mountains around them were very rich with coal and noble metals, such as copper and titanium. Learning to use their surroundings they became very skilled at crafting. Their incredible weapons and beautiful jewelry drew the attention of many from far off places, and so they traded for crops and food, since it was too cold for them to grow it themselves, and they had more than enough gold and silver in their walls of stone. 

Riverfall is located on the far south-east of Northwich, by the coast. They have adapted to the sea life and are the finest fishermen in the three kingdoms. After a bad storm many years ago half of the capital was left under the surface of the ocean, and when the water didn’t fall back they had to adapt to it. Now, they have created a floating city, where people travel by boats and live where they work. They will sell the fish, but trade salt for better wood and rope for their boats and homes. Most of the wood they get from the third kingdom, Purgatory. 

Purgatory is the smallest of the three. It is run by Ward Earp, the king, and his two daughters Wynonna and Waverly. Ward was not very well, and did not do much for his kingdom. His oldest daughter Willa had died a few years back in tuberculosis, and Ward had fallen into a depression that he never got out of. He drank away the days and stayed in his chambers, only coming out for meals and to make the final decisions in ruling the kingdom. 

Wynonna was now next in line to the throne, and though she was 24 years of age, she was yet to take a husband. She had always been a rebel, had always enjoyed spending her time in the city, talking to the young soldiers rather than to practise her latin or her piano skills. Much to the dismay of her parents, she did not wish to be a princess. She dreamt of leading people, but not in a big dress, sitting on a classy chair. 

The youngest daughter, Waverly, was a rare one. She was kind to all, and curious about everything. Even though she was eighteen, she still acted like a child from time to time. It was something that her mother had always cherished about her daughter, but when the queen had left one night without a word, Ward had blamed it all on Waverly and her childlike behaviour. Waverly had clearly noticed her father distancing himself from her, but she kept praying that he would come back. She had always felt like she was the least wanted of her and her sisters, but after her mother left, and her sister died, she felt like an outsider in her own home. 

 

Since half of her remaining family didn’t want her there, she had created her own family. She had always had a talent for making friends, and her home wasn’t any different. She had many friends in her own age around the castle, and had gotten to know a lot of people in the kitchen from all the times she used to hide there when she was younger. They had always made her feel safe, and let her help with preparing for the meals. She was one of the few people that didn’t look down on the people working for her father, she had always wanted to learn from them, and though some of them had to get used to the little girl, almost all learned to love her soon enough. 

Waverly especially liked to take her friend out on little adventures around the castle. Jeremy had always been there, he was born there, just like Waverly. They were now 18 and 16, and best friends. Her father said that she should not socialize with people that worked for her, and especially not do their work for them, but Waverly had always enjoyed helping and learning. 

“Miss, I don’t think we should be doing this, what if we get caught again?”

“We won’t Jeremy, and what did we say about calling me Miss?” Waverly turned around to the slightly younger boy. They were about to sneak into the pantry again. Last time they tried that, the head chef had caught them, and she was not happy to find two young adults snooping around in her kitchen. 

“My apologies, Miss- Waverly, I mean” Jeremy said and lowered his head a bit. Waverly sighed and punched his arm lightly. “Come on now, I need you to be lookout!” 

Waverly slowly opened the door to the pantry and snuck inside. The walls were covered with shelves filled with different types of food and spices. Waverly looked around and searched for the fruit, the red apples in particular. They were Alexa’s favorites. On the top shelf on the right side of the pantry, there stood a big, white bowl of red apples. 

She stood on her tiptoes, but was still far too short to reach that high. An idea popped into her head, a stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless. She took the hem of her dress and tucked it into her underpants, making sure that she could move her legs, and started climbing the shelf. She was a bit above the ground when she felt the shelf move a little, but just as it stilled and she was about to keep moving, she heard it. Three knocks. Jeremy’s warning.

“Boy, what are you doing in my kitchen?” 

“Me? O-oh, nothing, just looking around…” 

Waverly stilled, she did not move and she did not breathe. She could not be caught again, daddy would never let her leave her chambers again. 

“Where is she?” Waverly heard the chef stepping closer the door.

“W-who?” Jeremy asked quietly. The door suddenly flew open, startling Waverly and making the shelf fall. The head chef stood in the doorframe, big as a mountain. 

“Miss Waverly, what are you doing in my pantry again?” She asked loud. Waverly quickly grabbed two apples from the bowl that had broken as it hit the ground and ran out, pulling the frozen boy with her. 

“Sorry! Got to go!” She screamed while her legs carried her as fast they could. 

 

…

 

They stopped once they were outside the castle, beyond the garden, behind the servant quarters. Waverly was out of breath and red in the face, little droplets of sweat starting to form at her hairline. Jeremy, not as fast as Waverly, soon stopped beside her, leaned over, and tried to catch his breath. 

“We did it!” Waverly exclaimed with a breathless laugh. 

“Barely, Miss Waverly. Martina will have my head for this tonight!” 

Waverly knew very well that her friend was exaggerating, but she also knew that he would probably get more than one angry glance later that day when they all went to bed for the day. 

“Oh, no. I wouldn’t let her.” 

They stood up and continued walking away from the castle. About 500 yards further down a country road, the stables were placed. It was one of Waverly’s favorite places to escape to, and she was quite welcome there, both by people and horses. 

“Miss, I really shouldn’t be here at this time. I have to work in the kitchen before dinner”

“It’s okay, you can leave now, Jeremy. I just needed a lookout. I’ll see you later!” 

Jeremy took off back to the castle, and Waverly continued down the road.

 

It had been a long time since she visited the stables, almost a month. She just hadn’t had the chance to until now, but she’d never visited at this time of the day. Usually, she’d go there in the mornings and help feeding them, before she herself went back to the castle for breakfast. Even with all the time she had spent in the stable, Waverly had never learned how to ride a horse. Her mother used to take her on rides with the horse and carriage when she was a little girl, but she never rode one alone. 

She could hear the horses from inside, which usually meant that someone was already there. It was only some time after lunch and the stable master usually did some work on the horses around this time. Nedley always let Waverly help him, so she sped up a bit. Nedley was one of the people that had been there since Waverly was a child. He’d always been in charge of the stable and the horses, and the more recent years he was also a trainer for the soldiers. They weren’t a big kingdom, but they had a couple of hundred soldiers on hand. The soldiers mostly kept the peace inside the kingdom and collected taxes from the townspeople, and crops from the farmlands. 

“Nedley? Are you in there?” Waverly yelled as she got close to the stable. The door was halfway open, so Waverly just stepped right in, expecting to see her old friend, but no one was there. 

“Nedley?” Something was heard as she moved closer to the horses. She didn’t like to have favorites, but there is one horse that she’d always had a soft spot for. 

As she went further into the stable she saw her mare. She stood there, tall and beautiful as always, her white mane neatly brushed and hanging down her side. Alexa was a white shire horse, born to be strong and beautiful. Waverly got her for her 10th birthday, as a gift from the Queen of Northwich.

“Excuse me, who are you?” A voice said from behind a door, and a girl stepped out of the shadows. She dried her hands on the cloth attached to her waist and looked at Waverly with an expectant look. Waverly had never seen this girl around the castle before, and she knew everyone.

The tall girl in front of her had her auburn hair up in a loose bun, with two strands falling down, framing her face. She stood straight and with a slight tilt on her head, giving off a confident yet humble appearance.

Waverly smiled. “I’m Waverly, I don’t believe we’ve met” She said and reached her hand out towards the girl. “What’s your name?”

“Nicole. May I ask what you are doing in the stables at this time?” She said as she shook Waverly’s hand lightly. Waverly couldn’t help but notice how soft her hand was, not hard and calloused like most people working at the castle.

“I’m just out on a little stroll, visiting the horses”

“I believe it’s almost time for dinner, and I’ve heard the Earp family does not enjoy waiting. Should you not help out around the kitchen?” Nicole asked. It wasn’t an angry statement, and it wasn’t meant to put Waverly on the spot, but rather a genuine question. “She doesn’t know who I am” Waverly realized, and she decided to see how long she could keep it like that.

“Oh, I don’t work in the kitchen, I… change around a bit” It wasn’t a lie. Technically. “But enough about me, what is it that you do?”

“I work here at the stables. Make sure the horses are fed, have enough water and are ready to go when they are needed” It was a simple answer, and confirmed when Nicole pulled out a bucket of water for a few horses, including Alexa.

“How come I have not yet seen you around?” Waverly sat down on a stool against the wall, she was drawn to this girl, though she could not yet understand why.

“Oh, I got here only a few days ago, maybe a week. Nedley, the groom at this stable, took me in and got me into work.” There was a slight hesitation in her voice that Waverly couldn’t quite figure out. “How long have you been here?”

Waverly’s sigh could’ve been heard for miles. “All my life”

“Oh, do you live here with your parents then? Are they also employed at the castle?”

Waverly smiled sadly. “In a way. My father, at least. My mother left when I was younger. I have not heard of her since”. A slight frown appeared on her face. That wasn’t something that she usually went around talking about, but something about Nicole made her want to open up. Made her feel safe.

Nicole halted her movements and took a breath. “I’m very sorry to hear that”

Waverly stood up and went over to Alexa. She stroked the mare’s mule with practised movements. She took out one of the apples she brought and held it out for Alexa to take. In a second it was gone and Waverly laughed as her hand was wet with the sweet juice from a newly eaten apple.  
“Here” Nicole said and reached forward with her cloth to dry Waverly’s hand. Her hand lingered a bit and a sound from Alexa broke Nicole from her trance. 

“She must really like you. She barely lets me saddle her without trying to nibble on me” Nicole said with a laugh, but Waverly looked into one of Alexa’s eyes and shook her head with a small sigh. “Luckily the princess has not wished to ride in the time I’ve been here, so there has hardly been any need to bother her with putting it on every day.”

“Have you heard much of the her?” Waverly asked curiously. “The princess I mean”

“Depends on which one you’re referring to, I’ve heard that the older princess is somewhat of a rebel, and some people around the castle worry about how things will turn out when she takes the throne” She continued with her work, preparing to feed the horses.

Waverly hesitated. She knew what people thought of Wynonna. Her sister wasn’t the greatest fit to one day become queen. She was never supposed to either, Willa was. Wynonna just got caught in the crossfire, and suddenly a new responsibility was laid upon her. She never really caught up with it, and the land was questioning her abilities.

“What about the younger?” She leaned against the stall, and watched Nicole do her work. She had helped Nedley enough times to see that Nicole was not used to this kind of labor. Her movements were slow and unsure. The tools weren’t in their places around the stable, and Nicole didn’t have the calming effect on the horses like a used carer does. There was something about Nicole that didn’t really add up, and Waverly was planning on figuring out what that is.

Nicole put down the food on the floor and wiped her hands neatly. ”I have heard some of her. People say she’s not acting like a proper princess, that she socializes with people below her rank too much”

”Do you think it’s reckless?”

”No, I think it’s admirable.”

The two of them just looked at each other for a while. Waverly couldn’t drag her eyes away from this girl even if she wanted to, and she definitely didn’t want to. Where did this girl come from?

Waverly shook herself out of her trance and took a deep breath. “I should probably get going… almost time for dinner”, it was a low statement, but Nicole heard. 

Nicole herself shook her head a bit. “Yes. No, of course, my apologies for keeping you here. I am to help during dinner today aswell, so I’ll see you there?”

“You will”, Waverly said with a smile, and then she was on her way out of the stable. She stopped shortly before the door and turned back to Nicole. Nicole was looking at her already, and they shared a smile and a wave before Waverly left the building.

 

...

 

It was time for dinner sooner than Waverly had anticipated. She had to run up to her room and get changed, because daddy would not be pleased with her usual attire at the dinner table. The stone of the stairs clicked against Waverly’s light shoes, echoing through the small corridor.

Her room was located at the far east of the castle, on the highest floor. She had had the same room for several years now, the furthest away from everyone else. Her father had put her there a few weeks after her mother left, and she never dared ask if she could move back. 

She opened the doors to her chamber and went straight for the closet. The light blue dress hung neatly on one of the hangers and she pulled it out gently. It was soft against her fingers, and she lingered only a second. She knew that she was in a hurry, there was another family over for dinner that day and daddy wanted to impress.

Waverly hurriedly put all of her clothes on and ran back downstairs. She had let her hair fall over her shoulders before she left and it swayed behind her as she ran.

The sun reflected off of the golden decorations on the high walls and had given the great dining hall a slightly yellow hue, which could be seen from down the hallway where Waverly came running. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and quickly braid her hair to the side before entering the hall.

There were two men that Waverly were not familiar with that stood up as she entered – the guests, she presumed – and took a gentle bow to greet her. 

“How nice of you to join us, Waverly” Wynonna said from one side of the table, a hidden sarcasm in her voice that Waverly’s trained ears could pick up.

“I am sorry I am late, dear sister. I had some trouble getting dressed since my maid left”

“Yes, of course” Wynonna answered back in an exaggerated tone. The two sisters smiled playfully at each other, as Waverly approached the two gentlemen.

“No maid, miss Waverly? That simply cannot stand, I will send over our best as soon as we return home” The older of the two men said as he took Waverly’s hand and kissed it

“Thank you very much for the offer, sir, but that won’t be necessary. I’m sure we’ll find one ourselves, and until then it is quite liberating taking care of myself for a change”

“Nonsense. We are working to find her a maid. Should only be a few more days.” Ward spoke up from the end of the table. He had a glass of wine in his hand, and another on the table in front of him. 

“With all due respect, my lord, I do believe it isn’t appropriate for a lady of such high rank as a princess to go without a maid” The man said.

Waverly just stood by. She knew better than to get in an argument with her father, especially over such a thing as someone to help her. There was a long silence that filled the air. Ward Earp kept his eyes on the lord, and then shifted his gaze to Waverly.

The stone walls around them trapped all sounds inside the room, and the lord’s nervous breathing could be heard if you listened closely. He must’ve done something wrong to bring this pause into reality.

“Of course.”

His tone was flat and carried a hint of irritation. Things like that only came out when he drank, and he drank a lot recently.

The steps of servants coming with dinner echoed in the hall, and Waverly quickly sat down, anticipating Nicole’s entrance. She should have said something about her position earlier, should he not? How Nicole would react upon seeing her as the younger Earp princess, Waverly had no clue.

The train of servants carrying platters of food and drinks entered the hall and Waverly lowered her head. Perhaps she would not be noticed quite as early, as her back was faced towards them. 

“You, new one. Do you know how to care for a lady?” Ward’s voice was harsh and Waverly felt sorry for whomever was on the receiving end of the question. 

“I... um, I would suppose so, my lord…” 

Waverly froze. She knew that voice. She’d only heard it for the first time under an hour ago, but she’s fairly certain she’d know that voice anywhere.

“That’s good enough, congratulations, you’re the princess’ new maid.” Ward said and took a swing of his wine. “Put the tray down, and go get clothes and tools from the other maids”

“Yes, my lord” Nicole went over to the table, and began to put the tray down in front of her new mistress.

The sound of the tray hitting the table hard bounced around the room, as Nicole dropped it when she noticed her new mistress, her princess, Waverly.

Waverly smiled worriedly, with her eyes locked on the shocked expression of Nicole’s face.

“Hi…” Waverly whispered

Nicole gulped. 

“Hi…”

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, that was chapter one.  
> Let me know if I should write more!


End file.
